Dirt the Cat One of the world’s most famous cats is a railroader. Dirt, his fur coat stained by a lifetime amid the soot and grease of Nevada Northern Railway’s 114-year-old engine-servicing facility, is nobody’s pet and everybody’s friend. The people-loving shop cat has an international following thanks to a series of widely shared social […]
Chicago-area pedestrian crossing disappears I have no idea how long pedestrians have been crossing the railroad right-of-way at the gated crossing on BNSF Railway’s triple-track main line at Central Avenue in Western Springs, Ill., but it’s safe to assume it’s been quite a while. But the way that crossing quickly disappeared is another reminder of […]
I recently wrote “Burlington Northern locomotive one-offs” featuring five Electro-Motive Division diesels, including unique paint schemes, rebuilds, and test subjects. This time, I dug through my negative collection and found eight Burlington Northern freight car one-offs. Most of the photos are from family travels throughout northwest Minnesota and northeast North Dakota between the early 1980s […]
CHICAGO — Metra’s board of directors has voted to maintain its current special post-pandemic fare discounts — a $100 flat-rate “Super Saver” monthly pass and $10 and $6 day passes — through the end of 2023 as part of the operating budget for the coming year approved on Friday. The current fare structure was one […]
OREGON, Ohio — Ten railcars of corn from a CSX Transportation train derailed early Friday (Nov. 11) near the Port of Toledo, the Toledo Blade reports. The accident occurred at Ironville Junction, near Oregon’s border with Toledo, about 1:15 a.m. The derailment blocked CSX trackage on the Toledo Terminal Subdivision, the primary gateway to Michigan, […]
Eastern Seaboard Models HO scale insulated boxcars Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $84.50 Era: Early 1950s to 1980s Manufacturer: Eastern Seaboard Models Corp., P.O. Box 301, Waldwick, NJ 07463; esmc.com Insulated boxcars feature: Etched-metal running board and brake wheel platform More than 100 freestanding plastic detail parts Hi-Tech Details flexible rubber air hoses Underbody charcoal heater […]
Add some flair to your layout with the Broadway Limited Imports HO SD45. The six-axle road locomotive, based on an Electro-Motive Division (EMD) prototype, is offered in both high and low short hood versions in eight paint schemes. The Broadway Limited Imports HO scale SD45 has an injection-molded plastic body, a die-cast metal frame, all-wheel […]
Add some flair to your layout with the Broadway Limited Imports HO SD45. The six-axle road locomotive, based on an Electro-Motive Division (EMD) prototype, is offered in both high and low short hood versions in eight paint schemes. The Broadway Limited Imports HO scale SD45 has an injection-molded plastic body, a die-cast metal frame, all-wheel […]
MISSOULA, Mont. — The Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, the group seeking to return passenger service to southern Montana, has agreed to help BNSF Railway seek a federal grant for improvements on the route of the Empire Builder, the existing Amtrak service in the northern part of the state. The Missoula Current reports that the $15 […]
Pullman-Standard 2,750- and 2,960 cubic-foot capacity three-bay hoppers from Atlas Scale: N (1:160) Price: $24.95 Era: 1954 to 1990s (depending on scheme) Manufacturer: Atlas Model Railroad Co., 378 Florence Ave., Hillside, NJ 07205; 908-678-0880; shop.atlasrr.com Features: 15 body panels and 16 exterior posts Die-cast metal hopper and center sill construction Optional heap shields Solid- or […]
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Blue Goose Scale: HO (1:87.1) Price: $899.99 Era: 1938 to 1956 (depending on scheme) Manufacturer: Broadway Limited Imports LLC, 9 East Tower Circle, Ormond Beach, FL 32174; 386-673-8900; broadway-limited.com Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Blue Goose Features: Synchronized puffing smoke with chuff sound Variable puffing smoke intensity and timing Dual-mode Paragon4 […]
A Canadian Pacific manifest freight heads through Deerfield, Ill., on July 3, 2022. David Lassen WASHINGTON — The long-running Chicago interchange dispute between Canadian National and Canadian Pacific is back in the spotlight again. The Surface Transportation Board last month said the case raises broad issues regarding interchange practices. And so it’s seeking input from […]
